Sharp LC-30HV4U 30" LCD Flat-Panel HD-Ready TV

Rating:
Summary: verrrrry cool
Review: i orderd this tv for a freind of mine and almost did'nt want to give it up, the picture is breathtaking, off air 480i looks pritty good, DVD's 480p are amazing.
it has the most well thought out inputs i have yet to encounter (eg, 2 ant. in, 1 ant. out) great featurs too.

it even looks great when its off.

buy this tv.

Rating:
Summary: Very nice display
Review: I've now had this TV for a couple weeks and quite like it. It has plenty of inputs, a good menu interface, and a thin and elegant design.

It looks great for DVDs and PlayStation games with component cables. Regular TV isn't so good, but that's because with this TV I see the limitations of my standard definition (over-compressed) digital cable using a composite cable. I haven't tried any HDTV content yet. The viewing modes to Stretch or Zoom the content have been perfect for everything I've viewed so far.

I wanted a widescreen TV, but not too big or too expensive, and I think this is the best option out there. It's higher resolution (1280x768) than most plasmas in this price range, doesn't have the potential burn-in or lifetime issues of plasmas, and doesn't have the bulk and weight of a CRT.

My only complaint is that the contrast on dark scenes isn't as good as a decent CRT. I understand that this is the weakness of LCDs. From other reviews, supposedly this Sharp is one of the best for black levels, and the problem can be minimized by adjusting the copious settings, but it is still something I noticed.

Rating:
Summary: Great View
Review: I've owned this TV since mid July, with VOOM satellite TV service as my primary television provider and a digital tuner for local stations. I knew the picture was going to be good even with the resolution at 720, but when I watch high-definition programming like Discovery Channel HD, I feel like someone has improved my eyesight! Sporting events like Monday Night Football are especially, remarkably clear. One can adjust the color to be brilliant as you like to make the picture even more dazzling.

This TV handles a lot of formats (standard TV "box" to widescreen DVDs) easily with its options for zooming, sidebars, etc., which is great for the many movies and TV series I watch on DVD. I often have friends over to watch movies and they all love the screen size, it's like having a movie theater in my living room. Also, it's very lightweight -- probably half as heavy as my old 27" glass tube TV -- so it's easy to lift and move. That isn't necessary often since the screen tilts up and down and side to side when you need it to. The side views are pretty good, but still just not quite as good as full-on; the absence of glare from lights or windows is a bonus.

Down sides? Poor source material (old movies not cleaned up) and regular resolution channels don't come across as well, mainly of course because you can't make fuzzy material better -- you have to start with quality images to begin with. Some channels are better than others, and some people may be slightly disappointed. But that isn't a huge or very noticeable thing, and certainly still quite viewable. A purist may be unhappy that this doesn't display at the full 1080, but if they can tell the difference between that and 720, they've got better eyesight than most of us. The stretch format cuts the bottom off subtitles from DVDs... but I already knew what Jabba was going to say anyways. :)

Never had to call tech support, setup wasn't difficult, loved it ever since. If you have the bucks, consider this one.

Rating:
Summary: Truely is worth every penny
Review: In all seriousness, if you are looking for a quality flat-screen TV, your search is over. The clarity, plus the features, and the good customer service make this a great buy. It would be nice if it were slightly larger for the price, but I can't really complain.

I have a warning though. It's highly addictive and really should be sold with a Surgeon's General Warning on it. I used to be an active, productive citizen of this country, but since I purchased this tv, my productivity has plummetted down the chutes. Even as I speak, there is a graveyard of pizza boxes and potato chip bags surrounding me. I can't leave the tv. I used to have an inferior "box tv", and thought it was plenty enjoyable. But when I got this tv, it was like trying "Ecstasy" for the first time... I had never experienced such a realistic picture, that it was almost surreal! When I thought back to what I had before, I never wanted to go back. Now I am a "Flat-Screen Junkie".

(This makes a great retirement gift, because old people already have money and don't need to be productive)

Rating:
Summary: excellent LCD HDTV
Review: This is my first wide screen HDTV and I am impressed. Just watched "Friday Night Lights" with a composite video cable from a progressive scan DVD player. Now I know it's pathetic to use that low end cable but it's all I have until I get component cables. Even with that the picture was great! And the form factor is beautiful with the separate AVC box.
2 thumbs up.

Rating:
Summary: Sharp and Stylish and Family Friendly
Review: UPDATE 16/10/2004-- IF YOU WANT TO SEE MORE PICTURES OF THIS TV, HEAD ON OVER TO TIGERDIRECT WEBSITE. THEY GOT A LOT OF DETAILED PHOTOS.

In choosing an Lcd Tv, there are a couple important things to keep in mind: one, video-image quality-- not just what the specs claim for contrast ratios and response times, but what _YOU_ as a human viewer think of the image, and two, is the Tv going to last a long time? Lcd is fragile, and it's expensive!

I searched long for a colour Lcd Tv. The only thing I knew for sure was I wanted a 27 or 30 inch set for affordability considerations. The previous reviewer about right: 30" is good from about 8-10 feet-- 2-3 meters for us who prefer metrics. I think you ought to go to a store and see for yourself what screen size is good for you.

To borrow an analogy from the Mp3 world, the Sharp 30" Tv is like combining the style and friendliness of the iPod and the unmatched output quality of a Creative Zen. Well-- the sound on the Sharp itself is acceptable but not home theatre grade. You should get your own audio setup-- my suggestions include Onkyo, Yahmaha, so forth. What it excels is topclass video quality. Prior to getting this Tv, I spent many hours doing homework and watching tons of Tv in stores. My end conclusion was, Sharp has the best quality-- plus smart cable management so all those messy Av cables get hidden. Since I was going to spend a bloody bunch of money on a Tv, I expected it to be topclass and perform like a champ. What pleasantly surprised me was this excellent 30" Tv was actualy cheaper than many 'no-name' brands I found at CircuitCity, BestBuy, and other stores.

I just got my Tv last night, and so far it's met and exceeded my expectations. I had seen it many times at Tweeter's, but now that I have one in my living room, I realise how much better it looks, aesthetically and video-wise. O yah, you _SHOULD_ get the Avid tuning disc which you can order for $35 from Amazon.

My summary: Lcd Tv is still a high-expense item for most families, but if you've got the money, go for the best-- Sharp Aquos Lcd Tv!

Rating:
Summary: The best money can by
Review: Well, I'm an unhappy shopper! This 30" widescreen LCD from Sharp was the one I really wanted to buy, after salivating over it many times at my local Best Buy, but because it was well over two grand (plus I was unemployed), so I could only look but not own. Finally I got a cheaper Olevia set, which I'm happy with, but now that Amazon has lowered the price on this Sharp, I wish I had waited. The Sharp's image quality and overall reliability makes it worth the several extra hundred dollars.

Ok, enough venting from me. In case you haven't compared the various LCD TVs from different brands in person, there's no doubt that Sharp's LCD offerings are among the best. Compared to other brands (including my beloved Syntax Olevia), Sharp offers these following advantages:

- Top-of-class image quality. Well some other companies may cite higher contrast or brightness in their tech specs, none offers the same kind of image quality that you'll perceive *subjectively* as Sharp's high-end LCD TVs. Whether it's live sports or the latest DVD movies, the Sharp just does it better. Maybe they use better liquid crystals, or (more likely) better signal processors, Sharp LCDs just give you a better picture.

- Better black-level details than other brands. LCD TVs are notorious for failing to reproduce details in the dark end of the spectrum. If you enjoy movies with lots of dark scenes, you should probably stick with a CRT like Sony's Trinitron. The new Sharp models are better than most, though.

- More refined styling and user interface. Older Sharp Aquos models had the typical first-generation bland looks, but the latest models are stylish and cool.

- Better reliability. I speak this from experience (my own and my friends'). LCD monitors (like all other monitors) have limited bulb life. Almost all LCD TVs you'll encounter now claim "up to 60,000 hours" of bulb life. But when you compare the Sharp with a Syntax or Westinghouse or HP or LG, you'll notice that the Sharp has a more solid feel, which gives you more confidence over its life span than with the other brands. (If you are a Mac or Sony fan, you know what I'm talking about.)

I think if money is tight but you still want an LCD TV, you should consider the Syntax Olevia model. But for the best LCD TV money can buy, get a Sharp. This 30" is good if your viewing distance is less than 8 feet -- a rule of thumb is the you should get a screen size four times the viewing distance. If you want a bigger screen, LCD TVs aren't the answer yet -- the 37" Sharp Aquos costs twice as much as this 30" model! For bigger screens you may want to consider a plasma (Hitachi and Panasonic and Pioneer are the best) or (gasp!) DLP or LCD-based rear projection TV. But for freedom from screen burn-in, better image quality than plasma, and thinness, LCD is the way to go, and this Sharp, at the new price, is simply the best.

Rating:
Summary: Where are the reviews?
Review: Why is it that no one has reviewed this item yet. There have been at least 28 people who have purchased it so far, but not a one has provided a review. This seems to be a trend with the big ticket LCD screens. Just curious. By the way, the stars provided are not a review.